The Amiable Pious
by Empanada de Pizza
Summary: Stan causes two unlikely people to come to an unlikely understanding.


_South Park belongs to Trey and Matt. R&R.  
_

"Hi. Do you mind if I sit here?"

Gary looked up from his book. Standing in front of him was Stan's friend. He moved some books out of the way, making room for him. "I don't mind at all...uh...Carl?"

"Kyle," the other boy laughed. Kyle stuck out his hand, which Gary promptly took and shook.

"Gary. Gary Harrison." One must always be polite.

"Kyle Broflovski."

"Wow, that's quite the last name!" Gary said. "It's very exotic sounding."

Kyle snorted. "Exotic... Trust me, it isn't that special."

"Where does it hail from?"

"It's Jewish."

Gary nodded, accepting the answer. "Stupid question, I'm sure, but I assume that means you, yourself, are Jewish?"

"You are correct on both accounts," Kyle said, smiling. Gary sat dumbfounded for a moment, before laughing at the comment. Kyle pulled out a folder, and started organizing the papers around him. "So..."

"Yes?"

"I heard what happened between you and Stan." If Gary didn't know any better, he could have sworn that Kyle actually looked apologetic. He frowned thinking about the incident in question. All he had tried to do was be friendly. He wasn't trying to convert Stan and his family into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He just wanted a friend who understood him.

Gary politely cleared his throat, folding his hands on top of his closed book. "Are you here to try and apologize for Stan?"

Kyle shook his head. "No way, dude. That was rude. He should know by now that not everybody follows the same religion he does."

"Personal experience?"

"Let's just say that being the only Jew around the winter solstice can be very lonely and depressing."

It occurred to Gary that in Kyle, a Jew, he had a kindred spirit. Here they were, in this slightly backwards mountain town, two religious minorities in a sea of Catholicism.

Gary's curiosity got the better of him. "Does it upset you?"

"What? That my friends forget me for a whole week because mine is the only house with a Menorah instead of a Christmas tree?" Kyle shrugged, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Sometimes, a little bit. Does it bother you that people think you religion is a cult?"

Gary sighed. "That bothers me a great deal. But, I have sort of come to accept it from some of the most closed minded of people."

Kyle looked around the room. Leaning forward in his chair Kyle said, "Speaking of 'closed minded', you might want to stay away from Eric Cartman."

"Oh?"

Kyle nodded. "It doesn't get much more close minded than that fatass. Sorry," he winced.

Gary smiled, waving the swear off. "Don't worry about. Just because I don't swear doesn't mean I'm going to admonish you for doing so. But, what makes Eric Cartman so bad?"

"Everything about him. Trust me on this, he's not very tolerant when it comes to different anything." Kyle counted on his hands. "Religion, race, ethnicity, sex, et cetera, et cetera."

"I'm just curious, why are you telling me all of this? Why are you even sitting here at all?"

Kyle shuffled his papers around, not looking up at Gary. "When Stan told me what happened the other night, I laughed." Gary frowned. "I knew he was going to get himself into trouble. Stan, for all his trying to be tolerant of other cultures and people, has a very hard time NOT voicing his opinion. Believe me, I totally understand where you were coming from telling him to fuck off."

Gary flushed, looking sheepish. "Well, I didn't go that far..."

Kyle shrugged. "Close enough. And anyway, he deserved it. Stan's my best friend, but sometimes he'll make a comment about my religious beliefs, or why my family does certain things a certain way because he doesn't understand. It pisses me off, but then I compare it to someone like Cartman, who has tried to bring upon the end of the Jewish population, however small, in South Park." Gary gasped in horror. Kyle just smirked. "I told you he was horrible. But, Stan isn't that bad. He just doesn't get it. I'm different from him. He forgets that sometimes."

The bell rang, signaling the end of study break. Both Gary and Kyle packed up their things. Kyle had given Gary a lot to think about concerning the people in his new town.

"I'll catch you later," Kyle said, making his way out of the library.

"Yeah, later," Gary smiled. It was hard being the only one of a certain group of people in town. As Gary and Kyle waved at one another, it helped Gary a lot, knowing that he wasn't the only one who was the only one.

And maybe he could give friendship with Stan another shot, despite his views on Gary's Mormonism.

_Just a short little one shot. I thought the idea of them becoming friends was cute._


End file.
